01Who we are
Verify Your Builder Pty Ltd (ACN 687 611 123) runs verifyyourbuilder.ai. We prepare background reports on Australian builders, tradespeople and subcontractors for people who are thinking of hiring them. In this policy, "we", "us" and "VYB" mean Verify Your Builder Pty Ltd.
We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
02The short version
- We collect what we need to take your order and send your report: your name, email, the builder you want checked, and payment confirmation from Stripe. We never see or store your full card number.
- Reports are built from records that are already public or that we obtain from licensed data providers. Every finding names its source.
- We never tell a builder that you asked about them, and we never sell customer details.
- AI helps us gather and summarise records. It does not decide whether you should hire anyone. Reports state what the records show, not a verdict.
- Builders can ask to see what we hold about them and ask us to correct it.
03Information about our customers
What we collect
- Contact details: your name and email address, and your billing address if Stripe asks for it.
- Order details: the name, ABN or licence number of the builder you want checked, which product you bought, and when.
- Payment information: Stripe processes your payment. We receive confirmation of payment, the last four digits of your card and your billing country, but never your full card details.
- Messages: anything you send us by email.
- Website data: basic technical information such as your browser type, device and pages visited (see Cookies and analytics).
How we collect it
Directly from you when you order or contact us, and from Stripe when you pay. You can browse the site without giving us personal information, but we can't prepare a report without the builder's details and an email address to send it to.
04Information about builders and trades
Our reports are about businesses. Many builders trade as sole traders or through small companies, though, so a report can include personal information about an individual, such as a sole trader's name or a company director's name.
What a report can include
- Business and trading names, ABN, ACN, and the names of directors as shown on public registers
- Building licence or registration details, conditions and disciplinary history from state regulators
- Company registration status and published insolvency notices
- Commercial credit information about the business, such as payment defaults, from a credit reporting provider
- Tribunal and court decisions that have been published
- Public online reviews and the business's own website and social media
Where it comes from
Government and regulator registers, published decisions, licensed data providers, and public websites. We do not collect information about a builder's health, family, or other sensitive matters, and we do not covertly monitor anyone.
If you're a builder
We collect this information so homeowners can make an informed decision before signing a contract. You can ask what we hold about you or your business, and ask us to correct anything that is wrong or out of date. See Access and correction. Where the error sits in an original public record, we will tell you which register to contact, and we will update our report once the record changes.
05How we use information
- To prepare and email the report you ordered
- To run your Stay subscribed service: re-checking the builder you follow each week and emailing you when something changes
- To process payments, issue receipts and handle refunds
- To answer your questions and resolve problems
- To keep our records accurate, improve our reports and prevent misuse of the service
- To meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations
We don't use personal information for any other purpose unless you agree to it, or the law requires or allows it.
06How we use AI and automated processing
VYB uses computer programs, including AI models, to search records, match them to the business you named, and draft a plain-English summary of what they show.
- Information the programs use
- The builder details you give us (name, ABN, licence number, state) and the records described in section 4. Customer contact details are used only to deliver the report, never to assess a builder.
- What the programs do
- Find and match records, flag findings as clear, worth asking about, or a flag, and draft the summary. The flags describe what a record shows, for example "2 payment defaults listed". They are not a score or a recommendation.
- What they don't do
- They don't decide whether anyone should be hired, contracted, licensed or given credit. That decision is always yours. We don't use automated processing to make decisions about our customers.
- Checks
- Every finding in a report is linked to the record it came from, so you can check it. If you think a report is wrong, tell us and a person will review it.
07Who we share it with
We share personal information only as needed to run the service:
- The customer who ordered the report: the report goes to them only.
- Service providers who work on our behalf: payments (Stripe), website hosting (Cloudflare), email, AI model provider (Anthropic, which makes Claude) and data providers (Experian, for commercial credit information). They may use the information only to provide their service to us.
- Professional advisers, such as our accountant or lawyer, where needed.
- Regulators, courts or law enforcement, where the law requires or allows it.
We never tell a builder who ordered a report about them. We never sell, rent or trade customer information.
08Overseas storage and processing
Some of our service providers store or process information outside Australia, most likely in the United States, and possibly in other countries where they have data centres. This includes Stripe (payments), Cloudflare (hosting) and Anthropic (AI processing). We choose providers that have recognised security standards and contractual privacy commitments, and we take reasonable steps to make sure they handle personal information consistently with the APPs.
09Security and retention
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access. These include encrypted connections (HTTPS), access limited to people who need it, multi-factor authentication on our accounts, and reputable providers. No system is completely secure, so we can't guarantee that information will never be accessed without permission.
We keep order and payment records for as long as tax law requires, generally seven years. We keep report data for 12 months so we can answer questions about it and run Stay subscribed. After that we securely delete it or remove anything that identifies a person.
If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify the people affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires.
10Access and correction
You can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it. This applies to customers and to builders named in our reports. Email CEE@vyb-au.com.au (CEE@vyb-au.com.au) and tell us what you're asking for. We may need to confirm your identity first.
We aim to respond within 30 days, and it doesn't cost you anything to ask. If we refuse a request, we'll explain why in writing and tell you how to complain.
12Marketing
We don't send marketing emails unless you've agreed to receive them. Emails about your order, report or subscription are part of the service and aren't marketing. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and we follow the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).
13Complaints
If you think we've mishandled your personal information, email us first at CEE@vyb-au.com.au. We'll acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and aim to resolve it within 30.
If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
14Changes to this policy
We'll update this policy when our services or the law change. The current version is always on this page, with its effective date at the top.
15Contact us
Privacy Officer, Verify Your Builder Pty Ltd
Email: CEE@vyb-au.com.au (CEE@vyb-au.com.au)
Post: 1/27–31 Greenhill Rd, Greensborough VIC 3088